APA – Bamako (Mali) – The Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) claimed it carried out the attack near Timbuktu.
The Malian army camp in Acharane, a town about forty kilometers southwest of Timbuktu, suffered another deadly terrorist attack this Wednesday, September 27. The death toll is still unknown, although sources indicate that several people were killed.
The attack, claimed by the GSIM, a Sahelian branch of al-Qaeda, was confirmed by the Malian army, which said it had repelled “a large-scale complex terrorist attack from the Acharane hold.”
Sources say the attackers used a car bomb, followed by automatic weapons fire on the military camp. The army has yet to give an assessment, saying that “evaluations are ongoing.”
The attack is reminiscent of the one that targeted the same locality last March, which caused no casualties, although some material damage was reported.
It also takes place in a tense security context in Mali, marked by a blockade imposed on the city of Timbuktu and its immediate surroundings for several weeks.
Timbuktu has been the target of numerous attacks, most recently on September 22, when at least four civilians were killed and many wounded.
One of the consequences of this situation is that, unlike in previous years, the Maouloud, once celebrated with great fervor in Timbuktu, will be very moderately marked this year.
In addition to terror groups carrying out deadly attacks in Timbuktu, the army has also had to contend with attacks by former rebel movements grouped around the CSP-PSD, which have openly resumed hostilities.
This led to a deadly attack on the military camps of Léré, another town in the Timbuktu region, on September 17, 2023.
MD/te/lb/as/APA